Canada takes No. 1 spot in global image poll

Andrew Green

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Canada came out best in a globe-spanning survey of attitudes toward 12 major nations, in a poll released Tuesday. Israel, Iran and the United States were the countries with the most negative image.
The survey for the British Broadcasting Corp.'s World Service asked more than 28,000 people to rate 12 countries — Britain, Canada, China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the United States and Venezuela — as having a positive or negative influence on the world.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/03/06/global-image-canada.html

Yay Canada! :D
 
I have 3 questions;
1.why were there only 12 choices, and why those specific countries?
2.In what way does France wield "soft power"? (and how did the researchers come to the conclusion that that was the reason that France and Japan rated highly?)

3. How can only 28,000 people be a representative voice for the opinions of a whole world?
 
Hey I love Canada and always enjoy visiting there.
icon6.gif


However this poll seems some what weighted based on the countries that took part.
 
Blame Canada

Sheila Broflovski, sharon Marsh, Liane Cartman and Ms. McCormick lyrics
from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut : Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture

KYLE'S MOM
Times have changed our kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents, they just want to fart and curse

STAN'S MOM
Should we blame the goverment

CARTMAN'S MOM
Or blame society

DADS
Or should we blame the images on TV?

KYLE'S MOM
NO!
Blame Canada

PARENTS
Blame Canada!

KYLE'S MOM
With all their beady little eyes
And flappin heads so full of lies

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM
We need form a full assualt

PARENTS
It's Canada's fault!

STAN'S MOM
Don't blame me, for my son Stan
He saw the damn cartoon and now he's off to join the clan

CARTMAN'S MOM
And my boy eric once, had my picture on his self
But when i see him he tells me to f#ck myself

KYLE'S MOM
Well?
Blame Canada

PARENTS
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM
It seems that everything's gone wrong
Since Canada came along

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

DAD
They're not even a real country, anyway

KENNY'S MOM
My son could have been a doctor or a lawyer rich and true
Instead he burned up like a piggie on a barbecue


PARENTS
Should we blame the matches
Should we blame the fire
Or the doctors who allowed him to expire?

KYLE'S MOM
Heck no!

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM|
With all they're hockey hullabaloo

CARTMAN'S MOM
And that ***** Anne Murray, too

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Shame on Canada
For the smiling must stop
(we don't know what this line is)
The laughter and fun must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before somebody thinks of blaming us!

================================

Seriously?
I should give a loose bowel movement to a worldwide poll that rates two democracies, Israel and the USA, right up there with two whack job "cult of personality" states - Iran and North Korea?

Of course Canada is like the platonic boyfriend of that super hot chick.
It is a non-threatening, sensitive type of guy (i.e., country).
Canada is that (male) somebody the super hot chick can talk to about all her guy relationship worries.
But in the end, after she bares her soul to the Canadian, she will go off and marry the star American quarterback - while the Canadian is left to sit home along listening to his Rush albums, eh?
:uhyeah:
 
Frankly, I'm not surprised. Living along the Northern border of the USA, I have had a lot of contact with Canada and her citizens over the years. If I had to use one word to describe Canada as a political nation, it would be "mild." I like Canada and enjoy visiting BC as often as I can, but politically, the country is very mild.
 
"1,000 people in 27 different countries"

Hardly A comprehensive survey. How did they choose the 1000 from each country??
 
One thing I really don't get about some Americans, there seems to be a very strong "We don't care what the rest of the world thinks about us!" opinion, anytime a poll suggests that the rest of the world does not regard the USA as the greatest nation on earth the poll is immediately discarded because of the rankings, by the same people that go on and on about how they don't care what others think.

Sorry fella's but right now the USA is not highly regarded by the rest of the world. Even within the USA you have the lowest opinion rating of a president ever. You are engaged in a war many consider illegal and thumb your noses at international law and decisions when you disagree with them. Including pretty major things like the Geneva conventions (torture, illegal detainment, secret prisons, etc.)

Right now the USA is not well regarded by the rest of the world. Chances are that won't last forever, and after the election things will likely improve after the elections.

But you know what, the rest of us actually do some things right, some things better then you. Your country is not the greatest in everything, no country is and no country can be. Looking at these results nothing really surprises me, well maybe Canada taking #1, I'd have expected us near the top, but first is a surprise :D

So, let us, being those countries that scored well, take a little pride in the fact that the rest of the world thinks we are doing something right, we promise, when you guys win we won't be sore losers and will offer our congratulations.
 
One thing I really don't get about some Americans, there seems to be a very strong "We don't care what the rest of the world thinks about us!" opinion

Because, for the most part, we just don't care.

Like Tae-Kwon-Do people don't care what BJJ people think of Tae Kwon Do, and vice versa. And Jazz musicians don't really care what Rockers think of Jazz, and vice versa.

People who have confidence and a self-assured belief in what they are doing rarely care about the opinions of others. Like in music and martial arts, you may not be doing in the 'best', but you believe you are at least doing it 'right'.

It may include a mixture of arrogance and ignorance, but I don't really see Americans as being singular in national pride.

Now to turn the question backwards. I have opinions of Korea, and Japan, and China. However these opinions are based mostly on movies and anime and some news reports. Which means my opinions of these countries and there politics and people are probably not very accurate, or at best are very simplistic. So why the heck should any Korean give a care about my opinion of Korea.

Yeah, it's nice when people like what you do and who you are, and you really would like people to have a good opinion of you, but if you feel secure in yourself, then you are not going to change who you are and who you believe you should be simply to get others to like you.
 
Blame Canada

Sheila Broflovski, sharon Marsh, Liane Cartman and Ms. McCormick lyrics
from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut : Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture

KYLE'S MOM
Times have changed our kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents, they just want to fart and curse

STAN'S MOM
Should we blame the goverment

CARTMAN'S MOM
Or blame society

DADS
Or should we blame the images on TV?

KYLE'S MOM
NO!
Blame Canada

PARENTS
Blame Canada!

KYLE'S MOM
With all their beady little eyes
And flappin heads so full of lies

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM
We need form a full assualt

PARENTS
It's Canada's fault!

STAN'S MOM
Don't blame me, for my son Stan
He saw the damn cartoon and now he's off to join the clan

CARTMAN'S MOM
And my boy eric once, had my picture on his self
But when i see him he tells me to f#ck myself

KYLE'S MOM
Well?
Blame Canada

PARENTS
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM
It seems that everything's gone wrong
Since Canada came along

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

DAD
They're not even a real country, anyway

KENNY'S MOM
My son could have been a doctor or a lawyer rich and true
Instead he burned up like a piggie on a barbecue


PARENTS
Should we blame the matches
Should we blame the fire
Or the doctors who allowed him to expire?

KYLE'S MOM
Heck no!

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Blame Canada

KYLE'S MOM|
With all they're hockey hullabaloo

CARTMAN'S MOM
And that ***** Anne Murray, too

PARENTS
Blame Canada
Shame on Canada
For the smiling must stop
(we don't know what this line is)
The laughter and fun must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before somebody thinks of blaming us!

================================

:uhyeah:
An Academy Award nominated song, no really, look it up.
 
I'm sure most U.S. citizens are far from believing that this country we live in is a perfect one. Which country is? Just like martial arts, we all have our good, bad, and uglies... (no refference to the movie, BTW). I also can't help but think that some our imaging comes from what the government does, and of course- the tube.
 
For the smiling must stop
(we don't know what this line is)
The laughter and fun must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before somebody thinks of blaming us!
Actually:
The smut we must cut,
The trash we must bash,
The laughter and fun must all be undone!
 
Seriously, Canada is a lovely country.
They may even do one or two things better than the USA, I just cannot think of it.
Universal Healthcare? Maybe not! Immigration enforcement? Maybe!
:)

Actually, at one level, I am concerned what Canada, England and Australia “think” about us, since in historical conflicts during the past one-hundred years, only these three countries have demonstrated with their blood and friendship that they are worthy for US Americans to walk down into a dark alley with.

Then we have our second tier “allies”; The Japanese, The Germens, The French, The Rest of Europe etc... but the USA needs to always remember that geopolitical line, “Countries have interests, not friends”.

Andrew, you should also consider that our USA “faults” are constantly being documented by "fellow Americans” for the past four decades, plus!

There is the constant critique from left-wing academics, the mass media, Hollywood – and a new generation of “globalists & hyphenated Americans” who really do not believe in our national sovereignty, language or culture.

They are simply part of the “Blame America First” crowd. They have that freedom, but tolerance has never meant acceptance of others’ beliefs, contrary to MTV.

So when a statistical opinion study - including a segment from 3rd-world, non-freedom hellholes criticizes us – it is to laugh.

I still remember twenty plus years ago - an American president was believed by the popular European & Worldwide culture (along with most of the US Mainstream Media) as a “crazy old warmonger” as he tried to strengthen the NATO Alliance and upgrade its weapon systems. That alliance against a country - which during the 20th Century in the name of their man-centric economic religion called Communism - had slaughtered tens of millions of their own subjects - along with occupying dozens of satellite countries and oppressing millions more...

Yet we were the bad guys?
 
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